


dearest love

by asideofourown



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Domestic Fluff, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, M/M, Pet Names, Post-Canon, Public Display of Affection, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, snapshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:21:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22642522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asideofourown/pseuds/asideofourown
Summary: Crowley probably should have seen it coming, in hindsight.He shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was, at any rate.  It had been three months since the Apocalypse, after all, and almost two months since he and Aziraphale had officially gotten togetherromantically.  They were still very much in their honeymoon phase (which Crowley thought was completely justified— he and Aziraphale had spent six thousand years denying feelings for each other, scared of the consequences, so he figured they were entitled to at least a few centuries of shameless PDA).But still, despite the fact that he and Aziraphale hugged each other and kissed each other all the time, and Crowley knew for afactthat Aziraphale loved him, he was stilled floored the first time Aziraphale called him ‘dearest.’[Aziraphale and Crowley try out some new endearments]
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 50
Kudos: 481





	dearest love

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is a present to myself, sometimes you just need to write the fluffiest thing you can and there's nothing else that can be done
> 
> Enjoy!

Crowley probably should have seen it coming, in hindsight.

He shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was, at any rate.It had been three months since the Apocalypse, after all, and almost two months since he and Aziraphale had officially gotten together _romantically._ They were still very much in their honeymoon phase (which Crowley thought was completely justified— he and Aziraphale had spent six thousand years denying feelings for each other, scared of the consequences, so he figured they were entitled to at least a few centuries of shameless PDA).

But still, despite the fact that he and Aziraphale hugged each other and kissed each other all the time, and Crowley knew for a _fact_ that Aziraphale loved him, he was stilled floored the first time Aziraphale called him ‘dearest.’

They were together in the back of the bookshop, although given that it was hardly past noon, they weren’t drinking.Instead, Aziraphale was settled on the couch, reading a book with Crowley’s legs slung across his lap and a mug of tea getting cold by his elbow.Crowley was half asleep, one arm dangling off the couch and the other slung dramatically across his face.He was lazily listening to Aziraphale, listening to the little hums and breaths and clucks his angel made as he read whatever he was reading.Neither of them needed to breathe, of course, but after several thousand years on Earth it had become something of a habit— and Crowley had to admit that the steady in and out of Aziraphale’s breath, occasionally interrupted by sips of tea or quiet exclamations directed at his book, was rather comforting.

He was very nearly asleep, his limbs loose and heavy and his thoughts slow, when Aziraphale patted his calf and said in a low voice, “Crowley, dear, can I get up?”

Crowley stirred slightly, grumbling, but managed to lift his legs enough for Aziraphale to stand.His eyes were still closed as he stubbornly tried to go back to sleep, but he could sense Aziraphale standing over him, could practically _hear_ the angel’s horrible, sappy, fond smile.Aziraphale brushed his fingers over Crowley’s cheek, and then a moment later kissed him on the forehead before his footsteps slowly padded away.Crowley smiled just slightly, and snuggled deeper into the couch.

Some interminable amount of time later, Aziraphale returned.Crowley was well on his way to sleep again, floating pleasantly in dreamy quiet disturbed only by the muffled sounds of the city outside and the quiet noises Aziraphale made as he moved about the shop.Something touched his leg, Aziraphale’s soft fingertips tapping at his left knee, and Aziraphale said gently, “My dearest, may I sit down again?”

Crowley jerked awake, his eyes snapping open, and he promptly fell off the couch.

Aziraphale cried out in alarm, staring down at him.“Oh, my dear, I’m terribly sorry to have frightened you, I didn’t mean to—”

“What did you just call me?” Crowley interrupted, his voice a little hoarse.He stared up at Aziraphale, and without his glasses he was sure that Aziraphale could see every single emotion in his eyes.

Aziraphale’s brow furrowed.“My… dear?” he said, and blinked twice.“Oh. _Oh._ I’m sorry, Crowley, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable at all, it just slipped out—”

Crowley awkwardly scrambled to his feet, clutching at one of Aziraphale’s hands.“No, I— I—“He cleared his throat.“Don’t mind.”

Aziraphale softened, the tension melting out of his shoulders as he smiled.“Crowley,” he murmured, taking just a moment to set his newly warmed tea on the table before cupping Crowley’s face with both hands.“My Crowley,”he whispered.“My _dearest.”_

Crowley swallowed hard, and then leaned in and kissed Aziraphale.Aziraphale smiled against his lips, his thumb caressing Crowley’s cheek.When they finally parted, Aziraphale rested his forehead against Crowley’s.“You like that, hm?” he murmured, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Crowley pulled a face, wrinkling his nose.“Oh, don’t be a bastard about it, then.”

Aziraphale’s tiny smirk found itself looking an awful lot more like a smile.“It’s true, you know,” he said.“You’re ever so dear to me, Crowley.”

“ _Est,”_ Crowley said pointedly, and his best efforts could not contain his own horribly sappy, fond smile.“Dear _est.”_

“Quite so,” Aziraphale agreed.

“More than your bookshop?” Crowley teased, and Aziraphale rolled his eyes even as he smiled.“Even more than your favorite restaurant, or your favorite waistcoat, or your favorite—“

Aziraphale kissed him again and Crowley grinned, taking advantage of the opportunity to slip his arms around Aziraphale’s waist, pulling him close.They kissed, wrapped around each other, and Crowley moved them back a little with the goal of sitting down on the couch so they could snog properly, but Aziraphale bumped into the table and his tea toppled over.

“Oh!” Aziraphale exclaimed, diving for the tea and catching his cup just before it hit the ground.

“Shit,” Crowley muttered.“Uh, sorry, angel.”

Aziraphale winced, looking disapprovingly at the puddle of tea on the ground that was rapidly spreading towards the nearest shelf.“Would you get a towel from the kitchenette, dearest?I don’t want to risk catching the books in my miracle.”

“Sure thing,” Crowley said.He loped off to the kitchen, rummaging around in the cupboards for a towel.Predictably, and very in-character, Aziraphale had nothing but books in his cupboards.Crowley frowned, leaving the cupboards open as he went, before he remembered that he was a demon and he could make a towel from nothing.He snapped his fingers and an elegant black hand towel appeared in his hand, which he returned with to the back room.Aziraphale was crouched on the floor, glaring fiercely at the puddle of tea.

“Here we are,” Crowley said, holding out the towel, and Aziraphale gave him a brilliant smile.

“Thank you, dearest,” he said absently, taking it and quickly mopping up the tea.

“No problem,” Crowley replied, and then he thought about how he had called Aziraphale _angel_ for centuries, and Aziraphale had called him _dear_ for centuries, but now Aziraphale was changing things up, so maybe Crowley should too—“Babe,” he added on, rocking back on his heels.

Aziraphale paused, and then looked up at him with narrowed eyes.“That’s new,” he observed cautiously, sweeping the towel close to the shelves before standing with a small grunt.

Crowley hooked his thumbs in his pockets, inexplicably embarrassed.Which was _dumb_.He was a demon, demons didn’t get embarrassed.Besides, he and Aziraphale had loved each other for millennia, and Aziraphale had _definitely_ said and done stupider shit than Crowley calling him _babe._ “Yay or nay?” was what he settled on.

Aziraphale wrung the towel in his hands, absently dribbling a little tea on the rug before vanishing the sodden thing with a wave of his hand.“Well, it’s not as though we’re horny teens on our first date,” he said primly, one eyebrow arched just so.

Crowley had to grin a bit at that.“No, we’re a bit past that phase.”Aziraphale smiled.He seemed relieved that Crowley hadn’t taken offense.

“I’ll keep thinking,” Crowley decided, and then rummaged around in the pockets of his jacket for his sunglasses.“Lunch?”

“Ooh, yes,” Aziraphale said brightly.He reached over to grab his jacket from the back of his desk chair and then they left the bookshop together. “You know,” Aziraphale said as they strolled down the street, reaching out to take Crowley’s hand as he spoke.

“Hm?” Crowley murmured, more focused on the way his and Aziraphale’s fingers slotted together.

“You know, you don’t _have_ to start calling me something different,” Aziraphale said tentatively, swinging their hands a little bit between them.“I think… well, I have always liked angel.”

“Yeah, but you’ve given _me_ an endearment upgrade,” Crowley pointed out with a small nod.“I can’t exactly call you angel _est,_ now, can I?”

“No,” Aziraphale conceded.“I believe it would be unwise, at least.”

Crowley grinned.“Hm, I could call you angel _face,”_ he said.

Aziraphale shuddered theatrically.“That’s a bit dreadful,” he said.

Crowley’s grin widened, emboldened.“How about sweet cheeks?” he suggested.“Hot stuff?Sugar pie?”

Aziraphale batted him on the arm.“Fiend,” he complained, all but pouting.

Crowley bit his lip, leaning a bit closer so that his shoulder brushed Aziraphale’s.“We spent… a really long time, not being able to say anything to each other about— about, _you know,”_ he said more seriously, twisting his mouth.“I want… I want to be able to, now.To say it.So that _everyone_ knows.”

Aziraphale looked up at him, the irritation mostly gone from his expression.“You know how most humans interpret you calling me angel, surely,” he said tentatively.

Crowley nodded.“Yeah.Yeah, I do.That’s, er, why I kept at it.I just— ngh, hnn, wanna _try._ Something new.To alternate, at least, with angel.”

Aziraphale squeezed his fingers and gave him a sweet, adoring, positively _angelic_ smile.“Of course, dearest.”They paused for just a moment and Aziraphale leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.Crowley could feel himself blush, and stubbornly willed his corporation to get it together.The way Aziraphale smiled told him that he didn’t really succeed, but the angel didn’t say anything as they kept walking.

When they reached Aziraphale’s favorite cafe, Crowley let go of his hand for just a moment to hold open the door.“After you, sweetheart,” he said, and then made a face.“Ugh, not _that_.”

Aziraphale raised his eyebrows but went in, and they found a miraculously open table by the window in the otherwise crowded restaurant.“Perhaps not your style,” Aziraphale admitted as he thoughtfully looked over the menu, even though Crowley already knew what he would order.

Crowley shook his head.“Bit too nice, that,” he muttered, toying with his fork.

“Even for you?” Aziraphale said with a sweet smile.

Crowley gently kicked the leg of his chair, pretending that he had only missed Aziraphale’s shin by accident.“Shaddup.”

Aziraphale smirked once more before going back to the menu.

Crowley leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, thinking.Maybe he should just stick with calling Aziraphale angel.After all, he had gone six thousand years and spoken dozens of languages without reverting to another endearment, without even really _thinking_ about it.And then he remembered how it had felt when Aziraphale had called him dearest, how his heart had jumped in his chest and he’d felt _so_ full of love for a moment that he thought he might burst, just at a simple word—

“Crowley,” Aziraphale said, and Crowley glanced up to see Aziraphale watching him with gentle eyes, the menu flat on the table.

“Hm?” Crowley said, and slumped a little in his chair.

Aziraphale gave him a small half smile.“Alright?”

Crowley smiled back, letting his glasses slide down his nose just enough that Aziraphale could see his eyes.“Yup.”

They had a pleasant lunch, all in all— Aziraphale ordered the exact thing Crowley had expected he would, and as Aziraphale ate and Crowley nursed a coffee, they talked about a new play opening on the West End that Aziraphale wanted to see later in the week.After they’d finished, Aziraphale said, “Would you fancy a walk in the park?”

“Sure,” Crowley replied easily, opening the door for Aziraphale again.“Don’t think I have any duck feed, though.”

“Well, I’m certain that won’t be an issue once we get there,” Aziraphale said with a smile.He offered his arm and Crowley took it.

“Aren’t we old-fashioned,” he teased, grinning, and Aziraphale smiled.

“I always liked the eras when it was proper to walk like this,” he mused as they made their way to the park arm-in-arm.“I always welcomed the excuse to be as close to you as possible.”

“And now we don’t need excuses,” Crowley murmured. 

Aziraphale leaned against him for just a moment.“Now we don’t need excuses,” he agreed softly.

Crowley relaxed, gazing up at the sky through his glasses as they strolled through the park.For centuries, millennia, what he and Aziraphale were doing had been the stuff of his wildest daydreams.And now he could hug Aziraphale more or less whenever he wanted, kiss him with impunity, love him freely and with all of his self.It was a bit overwhelming, sometimes, but Crowley was more than happy to be overwhelmed.

The two made their way to their normal park bench and settled side by side, Crowley’s arm up on the back and around Aziraphale’s shoulders.“Duck feed, duck feed,” Aziraphale muttered, poking around in the pockets of his coat before miracling a small bag and offering it to Crowley.

Crowley took it with a smile, untying the top.“Thanks, honey,” he said.

“Ooh,” Aziraphale cooed.“I like that one. _Very_ sweet.”

Crowley picked at the duck feed, rolling the endearment over in his mind.“It’s a bit old-married-couple,” he said.“Settled.You know?”

“Well, we have loved each other for quite some time,” Aziraphale said, and unless Crowley was mistaken he sounded a bit huffy.

“We have,” Crowley agreed carefully.He tossed some duck feed at the pond, watching a few birds gather around.“We’re not married, though.”

“We could be,” Aziraphale said softly.

Crowley looked over at him, eyes wide with surprise.“You’d— you’d want to be?” he said a little incredulously.

Aziraphale pursed his lips.“Never mind, forget I said anything.”

“Nn, angel, no I— I’d love to marry you,” Crowley blurted.“Didn’t think— Yes.Yes.We should get married.If you want.I’d.Yeah.”He squeezed his eyes shut.“Hng, that was bloody _awful_.”

Aziraphale laughed softly.“I didn’t know if it was something you’d be interested in,” he said quietly.“Marriage, I mean.”He fidgeted slightly, and then reached over to get a handful of duck feed to toss.“Perhaps we can… talk about it in more depth later?”

“Yeah,” Crowley said, his mouth dry.“Yeah, sounds good.”He laughed a little nervously.“I’ll give you a proper, nice proposal.Won’t bollocks it up, next time.”

Aziraphale gave him a small, teasing smile.“Unless I beat you to it.”

Crowley had no choice but to lean over and kiss him soundly.“You are the _worst_.”

“You love me,” Aziraphale said, and Crowley _loved_ the fact that he sounded so sure of that fact.

“I do,” he agreed.

Aziraphale shuffled over a bit on the bench, leaning into Crowley’s side.“Maybe we’ll leave honey until we’re married,” he said, looking up at Crowley innocently.“You’re right, it is a bit settled for such _passionate_ lovers as ourselves.”

Crowley chuckled, kissing him one last time on the corner of the mouth before handing him the bag of duck feed.“Here, your turn.”

Aziraphale smiled and took it, emptying the rest into his palm and throwing it to the ducks who hadn’t gotten any yet.

Crowley rested his gave his shoulders a squeeze and glanced around the park before spotting a familiar cart a little ways down the path.“Buy you an ice cream, angel?” he offered. 

Aziraphale lit up.“Oh, that would be delightful!”

Crowley unfolded himself and stood, offering Aziraphale a hand.“C’mon.”

Aziraphale took it, letting Crowley help him up, and they wandered down the path.There was no line, and as they approached the ice cream vendor said, “What can I get you?”

“Nothing for me,” Crowley said, and glanced at Aziraphale.“Just for him.”

“Sir?” the vendor said expectantly, turning his attention to Aziraphale.Aziraphale hemmed and hawed, examining his options.

Crowley leaned over his shoulder.“What d’you want, love?” he mumbled absently, peering down at the cart to see if he could guess what Aziraphale would get.Aziraphale didn’t answer, and Crowley looked up to find the angel gazing at him, his mouth slightly open, his cheeks flushed.“What?” he said, a little defensive.

“Dearest,” Aziraphale breathed, his eyes a little wider than normal, and Crowley mentally rewound the last few moments.

He blinked.“Love?” he repeated.

Aziraphale swallowed hard, bit his lip.“It’s… terribly wonderful,” he said quietly.“More so than I would have expected.To… to hear it said so _plainly_.”

Crowley smiled slowly, turning just enough to face his angel.“I love you,” he said in a low voice, reaching out to take Aziraphale’s hands.“Aziraphale.My love.”

Aziraphale stepped forward and kissed him, hands coming up to grip his shoulders.Crowley’s hands settled on Aziraphale’s waist and Aziraphale pulled him just a bit closer, his body warm against Crowley’s.

They kissed until the ice cream vendor cleared his throat and said a bit awkwardly, “Sir, there’s— there’s a line, can I still get you—?”

Crowley reluctantly pulled away, even though he was loath to unwind himself from Aziraphale, and Aziraphale said, “Er, chocolate is fine.”Avoiding eye contact, the ice cream vendor quickly scooped his order and handed it to him.

Crowley paid, and then offered a hand to Aziraphale.“Ready, love?” he said, with a wide, giddy smile.

Aziraphale beamed back at him, and took his hand before they walked off together.

**Author's Note:**

> Opinions expressed herein about pet names are not necessarily shared by the author ;D 
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! I'm [here](https://asideofourown.tumblr.com/) if that's something you're into.


End file.
